Have Mercy Baby Explained

Have Mercy Baby
Type:	single
Artist:	Billy Ward and the Dominoes
B-Side:	Deep Sea Blues
Released:	April 1952
Recorded:	January 28, 1952
Genre:	Rhythm and blues
Label:	Federal
Prev Title:	That's What You're Doing to Me
Prev Year:	1952
Next Title:	No Room
Next Year:	1952

Have Mercy Baby
Type:	single
Artist:	James Brown
Album:	Papa's Got a Brand New Bag
B-Side:	Just Won't Do Right (I Stay in the Chapel Every Night)
Genre:	Rhythm and blues
Label:	King 5968
Producer:	James Brown
Chronology:	James Brown charting
Prev Title:	Out of Sight
Prev Year:	1964
Next Title:	Papa's Got a Brand New Bag Part I
Next Year:	1965

"Have Mercy Baby" is a popular rhythm and blues song, written by Billy Ward and Rose Marks, recorded by The Dominoes in Cincinnati, produced by Ralph Bass, and released by Federal Records in 1952. It was Number One on the R&B Charts for ten non consecutive weeks.^[1]

Description

Clyde McPhatter's roots were in the black church. The song is essentially the gospel song "Have Mercy, Jesus" sung in the call-and-response style of a gospel quartet, although it is in the straight twelve-bar blues form that gospel singers disdained. In the first chorus McPhatter simply follows the melody, but subsequently he freely improvises in the gospel style with short but spectacular melismas, stringing out phrases to overlap the backup singers responses, interjecting screams and yeahs, shouting a gospel funk. The backup band lays down the rhythm and provides the expected tenor sax solo.^[2] “Have Mercy Baby” would be the final Dominoes recording to feature original bass singer, Bill Brown on background vocals. After which, Brown would help found The Checkers (American band).

Impact

The Dominoes' version of "Have Mercy Baby" was the definitive rhythm and gospel record.^[2] Influenced by the group's lead singer Clyde McPhatter, its importance lies in that it was the first popular R&B recording highlighting passionate black gospel music features.^[3]

Cover versions

Other significant recordings of the song were made by:

• The Bobbettes (1960), whose version went to #66 on the Hot 100.^[4]
• The Rivingtons (1962)
• James Brown (1964), whose version charted #92 Pop.^{[3] [5]}

Notes and References

1. Book: Whitburn, Joel . Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Joel Whitburn . 2004 . Record Research . 168.
2. Book: Holly George-Warren & , Anthony Decurtis (Eds.) . 1976. The RollingStone Illustrated History of Rock & Roll. 3rd. Random House. New York. 18–20. 0-679-73728-6 .
3. Book: Steve. Propes. Steve Propes. Jim. Dawson. Jim Dawson. 1992. What Was the First Rock'n'Roll Record. Faber & Faber. Boston & London. 105–108. 0-571-12939-0 .
4. Book: Whitburn, Joel . Joel Whitburn

   . Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles, 14th Edition: 1955-2012 . Joel Whitburn . 2013 . Record Research . 94.

5. White, Cliff (1991). "Discography". In Star Time (pp. 54–59) [CD booklet]. New York: PolyGram Records.